REWRITE Code: Xanadu
by Jo The Mage of Breath
Summary: This is a rewrite of one of my fanfics  Xanadu Warrior Princess Solana has a new mission: become a Lyoko Warrior, fend off the forces of Matrix and XANA, and what seems like torture: make some friends. Please review and give constructive critisism.
1. Prologue

The world Xanadu. It was meant to be a paradise for everything, anything, anyone, and everyone. There is much diversity and beauty in this virtual world, which is made to look similar to Earth.

In fact, this was meant to be our second Earth, for when the end comes for the planet, all things will live on in Xanadu, titled _Project: New Earth_. But not to worry, the end is far from here. This project was also in arms with the infamous _Project Carthage_, with two different sets of people working on the two projects working side by side.

Along with Xanadu's creation came Matrix: the main control brain of Xanadu. However, due to Waldo Shaeffer's continuous trips into the past and Xana and Matrix having a link to one another, both programs gained an independence.

Waldo pleaded with the people of Xanadu to help him aid in the fight against Xana. However, they could not intervene because Matrix had grown far too strong for them to handle already, and if Xana and Matrix were to come together as one, then all hell would break loose. And if that were the case, both Waldo Shaeffer and the Xanadu people would be the ones to blame for this terrible occurrence, so they refused.

Ever since Matrix had gained it's independence, the Xanadians have trained and fought their hardest in hopes that one day, this mess will be all over and in the past.

Matrix, ever since then, has made monsters of his own of all shapes, sizes, and abilities, but one day, he decided that this was not enough. Matrix then started to take people's bodies and erase their memories. There wasn't anything anyone could do at the first time of this occurrence, but in some cases, the person possessed is able to fight off the darkness in them. But for others, in which the power was too great for them, remained prisoners to Matrix forever. These warriors for Matrix are known as Taxxons.

Aiding in the fight against Matrix is King Gregory, Queen Olivia, and Princess Solana, royalty of Xanadu. There is also Prince Dalton, but he has been artificially made to be a Xanadu A.I., and the 'son' of Gregory and Olivia. Some years later, Gregory and Olivia's blood child was born: Solana.

Every Xanadu warrior is required to have the DNA of a certain animal in their forms and to have a certain element as their power, due to it having a much more greater effect in battle compared to just fighting only with weapons or melee style. Every warrior must pass an initiation test in order to know what type of element and animal is most compatible with, not only their fighting and skill, but with their personalities as well.

The most powerful Xanadu warrior to date is Dalton, since he has the power of the Dragon's Flame and has been fused with the possible DNA prediction of a white dragon. The Dragon's Flame is a power made by the king and queen for Dalton so that he could be can lead the Xanadu Warriors into victory. However, since it's the most powerful of the fire types, Matrix has it's eyes on it to make it his own.

But one day, Solana wanted this power after seeing Dalton train. Since Solana had already picked out her animal before being fused with the DNA of the animal of her choice, the Gray Wolf, so the young one thought to herself 'why not have the same power Dalton has?'

"Mom, dad?" Solana asked her loving parents. "You know how you said that I should think about what I want my powers to be?"

"Yes, sweetie." Olivia said, petting Solana's head. "Have you decided yet?"

"Well, uhmm, yeah." Solana took in a breath out of her nervous anticipation. "I want Dalton's powers."

Both Olivia and Gregory exchanged shocked looks to each other, then back to their daughter. "You mean, the Dragon's Flame?" Gregory asked.

Solana nodded, completely sure with her decision.

Olivia then knelt down to Solana's height. "Solana, are you sure you want to go through with having the Dragon's Flame as your choice of power? It's a big responsibility to handle, and you could get hurt using it."

Solana kept persisting, sure in her decision. "Yes, mom. I want the Dragon's Flame as my power. I'll do whatever it takes. I promise!"

The king and queen then exchanged looks and turned away from their daughter to whisper their thoughts on the predicament, leaving Solana to ponder what their decision would be.

"We can't just give her the Dragon's Flame like that," Gregory stated. "She could get hurt and it would put her life on the line!"

"I know, Greg." Olivia responded in a shushed voice. "But she's done a very excellent job in her initiation training, and she's very responsible for her age."

"But Olivia, what about Matrix? He's going to end up stealing it from her, and then what?"

"Don't worry," Olivia came closer to her husband's ear. "Both you and I have an essence of the Dragon's Flame in our forms. So in a way, it's sort of like a back-up plan in case it gets stolen."

Gregory paused, then let out a heavy sigh. He then nodded, in which the king and queen then came back to their daughter for their verdict.

"Okay, Solana. We've both decided that you are responsible enough to handle the Dragon's Flame." Olivia came out with her and Gregory's say on the matter.

Solana grinned happily, and jumped up to give her father a joyful hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" Solana then turned to her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, I won't let you down."

"Of course you won't. We believe in you." Gregory said with a smile as he embraced Solana and Olivia in a group hug.

The next day, Solana, Dalton, Olivia, Gregory, and some technical assistants were in the Fusion Room of the Xanadu Castle. This room is where the Xanadu Warriors go to after they've completed their initiation training and choose their animal DNA and elemental powers.

Inside this room there are five cylinder shaped chambers that faced upwards on top of a thick, large pedestal with stairs in the center along with an array of computers on the sides of the pedestal and on the walls. The color all around consisted of a light blue, with the computers being a neutral silver.

"Solana, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Solana gave out a nod to her concerned parents and brother with a determined shine in her pupiless Columbia blue eyes.

Olivia then placed her hand on Gregory's shoulder and looked up at him with her Hunter green eyes. "Greg, she's ready." Olivia's voice rang inside his conscience, reminding him to let go of the reigns this one time.

When Solana stepped inside the chamber in the center, she looked at the others in front of her who were outside the pedestal sidelines. She was nervous, and she could feel the same vibe coming from her parents. But from Dalton, she couldn't tell what was racing through his mind, what with the serious look on his face and his practically colorless eyes, with just the faintest hint of green in them.

When the technicians gave the queue that it was time for the Power Bonding Process, Solana was instantly enclosed in the translucent chamber and was engulfed in a bright white light.

_Wow, _Solana thought. _I never thought it would be so warm in here. _

As Solana looked down, she began to notice that small flames were starting to appear on her body, which started to become more apparent by each passing second. _The Dragon's Flame. I think I can feel it…._

And right in front of her eyes, an image came to her. Of a dragon's head, colored red, orange, and yellow with piercing white eyes which seemed to be staring right into the young girl. _Am I dreaming? Is that… the Xanadu Dragon?_

"Power bondage to the Dragon's Flame with Solana is currently at forty-five percent," A technician at the computer counted. "forty-six percent, forty-seven percent, forty-eight percent, forty-nine-"

But then, he was instantly cut off by a loud booming noise, which caused everyone in the room to look around to try to see the cause of the noise.

_What? What's going on? _Solana's concerned and scared face reflected.

Then, a huge cloud of dark, black smoke came and filled the entire Fusion Room, making the people inside cough and try to hold in their breath. But once the fog cleared, the silhouette of three figures appeared.

"Well well well, looks like there's another keeper of the Dragon's Flame among the Xanadu Royals." The conniving voice of a male said, still in the shadow of the smoke.

_Who are they? _Solana thought. _And what do they want? _

As the fog disappeared, the three faces became clear. The trio consisted of two women and the male that was the first to talk.

The women wore tight and revealing clothing such as corsets, short skirts, and long skirts with a large gap on the side of the leg. The girl on the far left had short, black hair with a side bang that covered the left of two of her visible red eyes. The other had wavy, midnight blue hair and blunt bangs which the length of the hair reached to her shoulders.

The male had on a dark red suit with a cloak that had black on the outside and red on the inside. He had dark brown hair with sunken in black eyes that spoke of trouble.

He is known as Kuro, formerly known as Caleb, a Taxxon Commander, and his henchmen Amari, former name Nella, and Tika, formerly Jane.

"Kuro! What are you doing here?" Gregory nearly screamed, but also trying to keep his composure at the same time.

"A little birdie told us that there would be another flame carrier, so we thought that we would come and do you a favor and offer you kindly to give the partial flame to us." Kuro said sneakily with a sly smirk on his face.

_What? What do they want with the Dragon's Flame? _Solana thought, her body completely stiff with fear.

Gregory grimaced at the sheer thought of it.

"None of us here are going to even think about stooping down to your level, Kuro!" Olivia glared at the Taxxon Commander in disgust.

"Well, it's still nice to see that you're still the same fiesty lady from before," Kuro flirted with the Xanadu Queen.

"Don't you even _dare _Kuro!" Gregory pointed at him, as a gesture to stay away from his wife.

Kuro's usual sadistic grin began to come back on his thin, pale face. This caused Gregory and Olivia to exchange looks to one another in solemn awe, wondering what Kuro and his henchmen were planning to do this time around. As far as evil went, Kuro was all over the place, trying one new idea after another. In a way, nobody knew what would come next after he launched a plan, which either lead in failure or success.

Kuro sighed, and proceeded to step forward to the group. "Look, I know that the Dragon's Flame is everything to you. It's also an important artifact to Xanadu as well. You, your lovely wife,"

At this time, he attempts to kiss Olivia's hand, but she swipes it away before his finger could get to hers.

"and your beautiful children all have a piece of it inside of them and you. And if all four pieces were united as one, it would create the Xanadu Dragon, the celestial being in this fancy digital world. But what if the Xanadu Dragon were to die in one instant swoop? What will happen then? If only you had some sort of backup copy so that this sort of situation wouldn't happen. That is, unless you give us the Dragon's Flame, clone it, and give the original back to you. No harm will be done to the dragon and you can always turn to us for a back up. Now, what do you say to that? You do realize that you can't turn down that kind of offer, right?"

There was a moment of complete silence within the Fusion Room. They couldn't possibly believe this bogus lie, right? This was Kuro they were thinking about, part of the enemy.

As Solana remained completely silent, Kuro's face came into contact with hers. Kuro's smile came back, which started to send chills up the young girls' spine. "Or better yet," Kuro came up to the chamber Solana was in, and used a smoke ball to free her from the tight space. When Solana came out, she was taking in a deep breath and running for her parents and Dalton. "You can just, oh, I don't know, hand over _you're _part of the Dragon's Flame?" Kuro knelt down to Solana's height. "What do say, little girl?"

The young Solana only hid behind Dalton, while at the same time giving Kuro a grouchy expression.

Dalton saw her little sister and put his hand on her head. "See? She doesn't want to give up her part of the Dragon's Flame." Dalton defended.

Kuro then got up to his full height, hiding his disapproval in the process. "Well, if that's how you want to play it, looks like we'll have to do this the hard way."

Gregory and Olivia stared at Kuro in confusion while Dalton's determined face predicted the possible outcomes.

Then from out of his cloak came black smoke rings, which instantly attached to anyone in its way, wrapping onto the Xanadu Royals and the technicians with their arms attached to their sides.

"Don't even try breaking free from those with your powers. Because it just so happens that an electrical shock will be waiting for you in the end." Tika informed the people about the rings.

As everyone tried to break free, Kuro had his grin out again, this time to his henchmen, who seemed to already know what Kuro had in mind of doing. "Amari, Tika. Grab the girl." He commanded as pointed to the young Solana, with a singe of fear on her face.

Amari and Tika did as they were told, and grabbed the young one by her upper arms, and proceeded to drag her out of the room.

"Wh-what are gonna do to me?" Solana said in a spooked voice. Her widened eyes further expressed her fearful mood.

"Why, it's simple, little girl." Amari said.

"We're taking the fire inside of you." Tika further explained, her voice more slimier than Amari's.

Kuro then turned to the King and Queen. "See? I told you that we would have to do this the hard way, now would we?" Kuro raised an eyebrow in victory.

Queen Olivia felt like crying right there on the spot. She couldn't bear the thought of her own daughter becoming a Taxxon. Olivia felt weak, but she knew that she had to do something. But what?

"Wait!" Olivia shouted to the three Taxxons. "Take me instead!"

Solana turned around, her face even more fearful this time. Olivia, having not realized what she had offered to do, was in fear herself. But she continued to talk.

"In case you forgot, I myself also have some of the Dragon's Flame in me. So, if you must take someone from here, then take me." Olivia bowed her head down.

"M-mom…" Solana studdered, almost about to cry from the unexpected outcome.

Kuro turned around to face Olivia, then back to her daughter. "Hmmm.." he pondered.

After a short moment of thinking, Kuro turned to the other two Taxxons with him. "Amari, Tika… take the queen instead. I can tell that she clearly possesses more power than this little runt."

Solana plopped to the ground as Tika and Amari let go of her and followed the commander's orders to take Queen Olivia. Olivia just followed Amari and Tika to the door.

"Mom!" Solana shouted to her mother. "You can't go! You just can't! I won't let them do this to you mom!" Solana's tears came down slow, but to her, they felt like icicles on her skin.

Olivia was then given the chance to have some last words with her daughter. She knelt down to Solana and bushed off her tears with her pointer finger.

"Look, Solana. I know that you're very upset right now. But I have to do what's right for the kingdom. You're the princess, and that means you'll eventually have to make decisions like these when your older as well. I'll always love you, Dalton, _and _your father. And nothing's ever going to change that, even if I'm far away."

"Yeah, yeah, quit the lovey-dovey shmuck and let's get this show on the road." Amari intervened and tugged Olivia's arm as a signal to go with the Taxxons.

Solana managed to get one last look at her loving mother, whom she probably won't see for some time.

Solana continued to cry, but this time, the tears were harder, and more cold with melancholy. She then felt the warm prescence of her brother beside her, and she instantly latched into his arms.

"We'll get mom back. I promise."


	2. Episode 1 Part 1: Enter Solana

"_Hiiiiyaaaahhhhh!" _From up above, I use my Flame Sword to take out another robotic enemy by slicing it's torso in half. _Good, another one taken down_, I thought. _That makes it ten down and ten more to go_. I looked around desperately at the cold base environment I was in. It was the same ceil and majorelle blue color all around, computers as far as the eye could see, and one long hallway that lead to various different rooms, including the control room. Matrix Base Thirteen: the last place where my mother was taken to.

But I knew I had no time to think, all I had to do now was run, defeat the other ten enemies, and get to the end of the hall before time runs out. I quickly got up and ran as fast as I could until I got enough momentum. "Flame Sprint!" I yelled as fire was appearing on my back to help give me a major speed boost. In the distance, I can see five more robots heading in my direction, shooting their lasers at me. I easily dodged each by making a linear zig-zag motion towards my enemy. But it was still too early to make my move. As soon as I got a few more feet closer to my targets, I then decided that it was time to launch the attack.

Right as the robots started to come right towards me, I jumped up ten feet in the air. _Okay Solana, concentrate. _I thought to myself. I then focused the flames into my sword, which caused it to glow a bright orange. As I looked down, I could see that I wanted the robots right where I wanted them, but I was also getting dizzy, which meant that I should eliminate them quick before the sickness got to me. _Alright, now!_

I then swung my sword over my head, dove head first into the robots and swung my sword to make a crescent moon shaped fire. "Flame Scar!"

In a platinum blur, all five robots blew up behind me, but luckily I had managed to get away soon enough before the attack could get the robots.

"Ten seconds until simulation shutdown." A computer voice reminded.

_Damn. _I mentally cursed out. _I must have spent too much time at the beginning. At least I still have my Flame Sprint. _

"FLAME SPRINT!" I yelled out loud, and ran with the fire behind me, running as fast as I could, while the clock was counting down the seconds left.

"_Ten, nine, eight_,"

I felt my legs getting sore from the force of the locomotion I was forcing out of me. When I looked farther to the distance at my time point, I saw five more robots in two rows. _Wait, maybe I can use them with my fists again. _

"_Seven, six_,"

I took my hands and molded them into fists, and focused my energy to them. Once I felt the flames on my knuckles, I spread them out away from my body, and started to push my speed out of it's normal limits.

"_Five, four,_"

I can see that I'm coming toward the robots closer and closer, and the lasers still keep shooting, but I don't care. As long as I'm able to make this, nothing matters.

"_THREE,_"

The flames are getting hotter, my speed is getting faster, but it feels like time is slowing. I can see each robot individually now: three on the left, and two on the right.

"_TWO,_"

I feel like my hands have turned into giant buzz saws, as the flames are sawing through each robot as if it lasted for two hours. Granted, this would be over, yes, but already, I feel like my hands have been assaulted by bricks.

"_ONE. TIME'S UP_."

Good, the training's over. As I lied on the digital simulation ground, I said to myself, "If I had just not wasted any time, maybe I would have gotten them all at a new time."

**LATER THAT DAY**

Well, it's been seven years since my mom was taken away by Kuro, and we still don't know where she is to this day. Dad just gave up hope after searching for two years, but I still believe she's out there. As for where she's at, I'm not sure, but I know that she _must _be somewhere on Xanadu.

Speaking of which, dad has completely banned the subject from the house. Whenever it would be brought up, he would always try to quickly try to change the subject to something far from it. And whenever I keep persisting, he would always say the same old thing he would every time: "Look, you're going to have to face facts Solana. She's gone and she's never coming back." I guess that means that Dalton's never going to turn back into a human again. And that must also mean that Kai won't be able to be tracked down on Lyoko _or _Xanadu. But I still haven't given up hope on any of them just yet.

In my Narragansett, Rhode Island home, I was in the kitchen with the sound of the living room television on a randomly placed channel. While there, I decided to make myself an early breakfast, since I got up early for the simulation time run, and it is 6:55 am, an hour and a half before my usual breakfast time. I decided to make myself a ham and cheese omlet with a side of wheat toast. Not typically my choice, but I was willing to make do with what I had.

_Hmm, strange. Usually, I would have defeated a Taxxon sometime this week. Or at least a Parasite. Matrix has been quiet lately, too quiet. _

Parasites are little blob like creatures that I have to fight apart from the Taxxons. They enter inside the minds of animals, insects, even plants, and make them do the bidding of Matrix. The difference between Parasites and Taxxons are Taxxons are the human servants of Matrix, and the strongest ones are kept forever, while the weaker ones get thrown away.

While I pondered over this while eating, I heard the doorbell ring. I then put my food down and opened the door to find my father in his usual brown suit with Mr. Samuel Montoya, a technical supervisor for Xanadu. He's sort of like family to us, except it's the kind of family that moves in and never leaves. Literally. He's been living with us ever since mom got abducted. Dad says that it's 'for my own safety'. Mr. Montoya has also been my tutor ever since my former tutor, Jane, became a Taxxon when I was little. I have to say, even though Mr. Montoya is more encouraging than Jane was, I actually do miss Jane a little bit, because she gave me those two extra shoves to lead to my academic success.

"Well, well, well, look who's up rather early _again_." Dad teased, but from the tone, it sounded more like I was in trouble. "So, I take it that you were in the Castle Simulation Room?"

"Yeah," I admitted. "So did you guys find out anything?"

"Actually, Solana, we _did _find a few interesting things we think might benefit the mission." Mr. Montoya explained. "If you two can just come down to the Underground Monitor with me, I'll be happy to explain it to you."

Me and dad both gave nods to Mr. Montoya and followed him out into our open backyard. We then went over to the shed that was on the left side of the yard. When we both entered the large space, it seemed like an ordinary garden shed, with garden tools and everything. But wait, there's a catch. Underneath a big, red toolbox, there's a switch. Once it had been flicked, me, dad, and Mr. Montoya had stepped inside a blue circle that lit up in the shed due to the switch. We each stepped in the circle as quickly as we could and within an instant we were whisked into a glowing blue tunnel that was heading downwards. The feeling of it felt like we were in an elevator, except the elevator is going very fast, but we couldn't really tell because of the atmosphere.

When the elevator came to an abrupt stop, a wide screen came close to us and an identification beam came to us. Along with the screen came a hand print identifier on both sides of the closed door.

"_How many people are wishing to enter the Xanadu Supercomputer Laboratory?" _Asked a monotone robotic female voice.

"Three." Mr. Montoya said loud and clearly.

We then took turns identifying who we were for the acess computer. In order for the computer to recognize who you are, you have to be involved in Xanadu in some way, place your right hand over one of the hand print identifiers, let the eye identifier scan your eyes, and say out loud your full name.

"_Full Name Identification Please." _stated the robot voice.

While letting the laser scan his eyes and having his hand on the scanner, my dad went first. "Gregory Hoffman Stern."

"Samuel Richard Montoya." Mr. Montoya went up next for identification.

"Solana Verochka Stern." I went last. I normaly don't like to say my middle name, because I used to get teased by it constantly when I was a little kid. Everyone would call me "Roach Girl" because of it. It's sort of a fate I can't escape, since everyone on my mom's side of the family is Russian. My middle name in that tounge, name wise, means faith or true, I can't remember which.

When the long cylinder doors opened, we were presented with a giant digital hologram of Xanadu out in the far end of the lab, four scanners to enter Xanadu on the right, and the main supercomputer on the left.

"Well, what is it, Mr. Montoya?" I asked him.

Mr. Montoya then started shuffling through the notes in his suitcase that he had placed down on the table right next to the supercomputer. "Well, thanks to the information and data you have brought us from the previous Matrix Bases you have infiltrated, we have been able to figure out what Matrix might be planning."

"And that is?" I continued asking.

"Well, it appears as though all of it has had some sort of link to the following location," Mr. Montoya then started to type in the co ordinance of the area. First, an image of the earth. Then, as it zoomed in forward, it started heading towards Europe, then to France, and it stopped when it reached a familiar city. "Boulogne-Billancourt. A suburb of Paris, France."

That's the place where my godmother, Giselle Baker, lives. She's been a really good friend of mom's, and we would usually visit her once or twice a year. But why would Matrix want to strike there?

"Also, we have more information regarding this: XANA is back." Dad said to me.

"What?" I asked, astonished. "But… but how was he able to come back? The program that was launched should have destroyed him!"

"Well apparently when he was said to be destroyed, he was able to regenerate himself. We think that it might have something to do with when he stole Aelita's memories in Sector 5." Dad further explained.

"Well, can't we just destroy him again?" I asked. "I mean, if the Lyoko Warriors can do it once, that means that we should be able to do it again, right?"

"I'm afraid that's out of the question, Solana." Mr. Montoya explained. "You see, XANA has been able to fully regenerate himself to the point where it's like he wasn't destroyed to begin with."

"And along with some of Aelita's stolen memories, he's gotten stronger." Dad said. "So neither we nor the Lyoko Warriors are able to destroy him without the same thing happening over and over again."

_Oh, great. Could things get any worse? _

"And we also have more bad news." Mr. Montoya said. "There's a rift in the Metaxý sector, and it's slowly expanding."

_And it just did. _The Metaxý sector is the sector that lies in between Lyoko and Xanadu, and it helps keep both worlds to themselves, both Matrix and XANA to themselves, and overall helps keep things in balance. Metaxý is the phonetical version of the same word, μεταξύ, meaning 'between' in Latin. If there's a rift in it, then there's a very high chance that Xanadu and Lyoko will end up becoming one with the other's world. On top of that, Matrix and XANA would end up becoming one Mega Virus if they ever came to each other face to face.

"We all know that XANA is going to strike any time now, so it's imperative that the Lyoko Warriors have as much help as they can." Dad concluded.

"And here's where you come in, Solana." Mr. Montoya pointed to me. "You'll be sent to Boulogne-Billancourt, where you will become one of the Lyoko Warriors while also making sure that no trace of Xanadu _or _Matrix is let out onto Lyoko. And, if you are able to in your spare time, travel to the Metaxý sector as often as you can and set up a few temporary firewalls. Those firewalls ought to hold down the rift for three or four days."

I nodded in what the mission was, and went over all of what I was ordered in my head. Hmm, this should be rather simple. I get to work with mature adult fighters, with the exception of Aelita, and fight off the forces of XANA. And since they're adults, they shouldn't be too much of a problem to get past while I do my job. I should be in and out in no time.

"But, wait." I asked. "What if Matrix launches an attack?"

"Oh, we already have this for you." Mr. Montoya then took out a black and white USB flash drive from his suitcase, then proceeded to hand it to me. "You'll install this data into the Lyoko supercomputer and within Lyoko itself, and once all the contents have been downloaded inside it, you should be able to enter Xanadu and transform into your Xanadu forms with ease."

I then looked down at the USB flash drive in the palm of my hand. The key to use my Xanadu form on Lyoko, right here with me.

"So that's my mission." I mumbled to myself, still reciting all of the possibilities in my head of what might happen on the mission.

"Actually, Solana, that's only half of what I want you to do while in France." My dad had cut me off from my thoughts.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, looking at him.

"Samuel, I'll take over things from here," dad said to Mr. Montoya. "I want to discuss some information with my daughter, alone."

_Wait, so that's not the end of the assignment? What else could my father have in mind that he would have to speak to me alone about? I may not know what at the moment, but either way, I'll be tackling at it straight ahead. _

**LATER THAT DAY: **

After I closed the door after Mr. Montoya left, I decided to confront my father about what he wanted to say.

"Alright, dad. Mr. Montoya is gone. So, what was it that you wanted to tell me?" I asked briefly.

Dad then looked at me, then deeply sighed while putting his hand on his shoulder and staring at the ground. Whatever it was, it might have been because something bad happened at his job, or something way worse. "Solana, sit down at the kitchen table for me, would you?" He finally asked me after a moment of silence. And after he asked this of me, he was soon upstairs. I heard some shuffling noises up above, maybe going through the bits of clothes and paper that were usually scattered on the floor of his room.

After a few seconds of the shuffling upstairs, dad finally came down the stairs with a small stack of papers and placed them on the oval shaped table with a _plop_.

"What's with all the papers?" I asked out of curiosity for the papers.

"Well, Solana," dad studdered over his words a little. "Well, you know all of our relatives, right?"

"Of course." I responded. "There's grandma Galina, grandpa Dimitri, and aunt Sasha."

"Yes, Solana, but I need to make a confession." Dad said in a solemn voice.

I then waited as he took out a folder with the label 'Family Tree'. _Wait, what does this have to do with my family tree? _

Dad then took out a sheet of paper from the folder and placed it on the table. It was a photocopy of one of the main family tree branches. As I looked closer, I noticed that it was from my father's side of the family. Then, when I looked down at my father's name, I noticed a line next to his name. So I took my finger and slided it to the name next to it. "Roderick Stern." I let the words flow through my lips.

"He's you're uncle." Dad finally came out speaking.

_Wait, my uncle? But I thought dad was an only child? _"Why didn't you tell me about Roderick sooner?" I asked, wanting an answer.

"To protect you, and the secret of Xanadu." Dad said, somewhat uncertain.

However, I felt the need to ask "Yeah, and what else?", which I did, since I felt like he never gave me a proper explanation. Dad sighed and put his head down once more. I swear, this routine was starting to get redundant real fast.

"Well, Solana, all our lives, we've always been fighting constantly. Over practically everything, such as sports, academics, who was the better son, etcetera. Finally, after years of fighting, I guess we just simply forgot about each others existence." Dad confessed.

I never viewed dad as much of a fighter, with the exception of Xanadu. He's the type of guy who would easily get along with almost anybody, so hearing him say that he was constantly fighting with the uncle I've never heard of shocked me a little.

"But, what caused you two to not see each other again?" I asked, wanting to know more.

"When Roderick's daughter was born, she was born prematurely." Dad said, solemnly depressed. "The day after she was born, she died of a birth defect. After the first month of depression, you came along. When Roderick and Diana came to visit, Diana was still grieving over the loss of her youngest, but managed to put on a happy face and was glad to see your baby doll face." At this moment, I felt myself smile a little bit, even if I did feel guilty afterwards. "But Roderick, on the other hand, was anything but happy. He said that you looked exactly like his little girl, and he even said that he hated you the first time he layed eyes on you. 'How come my daughter had to die a too soon death, yet yours got to live?' he ranted. After that day, he declared that he didn't want anything to do with me, your mother, or you."

Even though I felt myself begin to tear up, I had to know something, so I put up with the pain and tried not to show it in any way.

I've gotten used to not showing my emotions since you're basically not allowed to on Xanadu most of the time. On Xanadu, it's a dog-eat-dog world. Not only can Matrix attack you physically, but mentally as well: a lethal combination. Any emotion, secret, or weakness can be used against you, and that's never a good sign.

"What was she going to be named?" I asked in a solemn façade.

"Maria." He said.

_Maria, _I thought to myself. _It's got a nice ring to it. Maria Stern. But why did she have to die so soon? And for that matter, just because I have the same exact face as her in Roderick's opinion doesn't mean that he has to be so harsh towards me and my dad. _

As I sensed that the tears were starting to appear, I quickly got out of my chair and got out a paper towel to dry them, with my back turned to dad. I then made my way back to my seat and faced my father in the eyes.

"Ahem," my dad cleared his throat. "Yes, so that's why me and my brother have never talked. Anyway, I want to change things with him. To make a fresh start with him, you know, make amends?"

"I understand." I nodded.

"And while in France, I want you to get to know Roderick's son, Ulrich." Dad further explained.

_Ulrich. Why does that name sound do familiar? Great, now I have an uncle _and _a cousin that I've never heard of. What's next? _

"Also, I want you to do one more important thing for me, Solana." Dad said to me, almost nearing the end of this conversation.

"And that would be…?" I asked.

"Make some friends."

_What? _Why would he need me to make friends? Back on Xanadu, nobody is your friend. They're just merely comrades, nothing more, nothing less. And like I stated before, Matrix can use things like friends against you.

"What?" I said to him, completely bewildered. "Why do I need friends? I'm completely fine the way I am."

"Solana, you have to realize that there's more to life than just fighting in Xanadu and studying all day. A girl like you should be out with her friends, you know, doing things people your age would do."

"But dad," I tried to fight his argument. "The fate of Xanadu rests in our hands, and we're the only warriors left! You can't expect me to just give up being a part of Xanadu just like that, can you?"

"I'm not saying that at all." Dad responded. "I'm just saying that it's not healthy to be all by yourself all the time."

"But I have you and Mr. Montoya, and frankly, that's all the company I'm content with at the moment."

There was then an eerie silence that filled the room. I probably shouldn't have said what I did, but I had to get my point across somehow. But still, I felt a slight ping of guilt afterwards.

He sighed. "Look, Solana, you need to learn to depend on others more and less on yourself. You _can _turn to others for help, you know."

I just remained seated and silent in my chair.

"Look, while in France, you'll be sent here to Kadic Academy, the same boarding school were the Lyoko Warriors attend. I've already talked with the principal through the phone and reserved you a dorm. I also sent a letter to Ulrich regarding the little family crisis." Dad then set down a brochure on the table.

"But wait, aren't the Lyoko Warriors adults?" I asked.

Dad then started to laugh at my question. "What's so funny?" I asked, confused.

"You, you actually thought they were adults, didn't you?" Dad tried to calm himself down from laughing.

"Uhmm, yeah. Why?" I said.

"Honey, I think you've been mistaken." Dad stated. "The Lyoko Warriors are teenagers, kids your age."

"Oh." _Great, now things will be harder to get past them and do my job. _

"But don't worry, Ulrich's one also."

_So, not only is he my cousin, he's a Lyoko Warrior as well. Huh, small world._

Dad then looked at his wrist watch for the time. "Oh, looks like you better start packing, kid. The next plane to France leaves tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. sharp."

Well, not only do I have to become one of the Lyoko Warriors, I also have to juggle that with having to fend off the forces of Matrix as well. And I know what you guys are thinking: "But, what about making friends like Gregory said?" Look, it's my sole duty as both a Xanadu Warrior and the Xanadu Princess to win the battle against Matrix while also trying to find my mother and finding an anti-virus for Dalton. If I help the Lyoko Warriors in any way at all, I'll only treat them as comrades only. Why? Because the fates of Xanadu nor Lyoko rest on me making friends. I don't care what dad says, this is my problem and I'll take care of it.


	3. Episode 1 Part 2: Enter Solana

Well, after nervously waiting for it, I'm here. I'm now at Kadic Academy, and trying my best not to look like some hopeless fool. While all by myself in the empty space of the school campus, I will admit, I felt like a fish out of water: out of my natural environment, worrying about where I was, and wanting back in the water. Well, in _this _particular case, wanting to go back home and quickly complete the mission. But I managed to keep on a pretty solid poker face and found myself carrying on to my destination.

So far today, I've gotten my assigned dormitory and my classroom schedule. Mr. Delmas, the principal of Kadic, told me that I could take care of my luggage and place them in my given dormitory, which was the last room to the right. And since the Kadic staff isn't able to tell which learning level I'm at, they decided to put me with the eighth graders and see how things went on from there. What? No placement exam of any sort? Yeah, that's real nice. Putting someone in solely because of age. Isn't that sort of like hiring a cop but only hiring them based on how well they look in the uniform? Not to sound like a jerk or anything, but still, it _would _be a bit more organized to have new students take an entrance learning exam.

At first, I thought the dorm was going to be one big barrage of pink. But on the contrary, that wasn't it. The room was actually colored a nice cerulean blue, which made it out to be sort of a calm environment, which actually felt kind of right. I placed my things on top of the bed on the empty, right side of the room, and left the building in silence.

When I was out on campus once again, I found myself all alone, with the wind passing gently through the air. I clutched by sling bag and headed for the cafeteria, which was said to be a relatively small building, like a trailer home. I looked around some more of the campus on the way, and I have to admit, this place doesn't look half bad. Even though I did like the academy's interior and outdoor appearance, I still felt a big ping of nervousness.

When I found my way to the cafeteria building, it was a bit smaller than I expected it to be, and couldn't get the following question out of my head: _How can a building so small serve food to a student body population that's double it's size? _

_Okay, Solana, let's get this over with. Just in with lunch and out with classes and getting the codes into the Lyoko supercomputer. Simple as that. _I thought to myself as I entered the cafeteria.

When I entered the cafeteria, there were an array of students in the room, yet amazingly there was still enough room to hold about six people to a table, in which there were, I'm guessing around four each row, in which there were two.

I then made my way to the end of what I was assuming to be the lunch line, since I haven't had a bite to eat since this morning. Today they were serving croissants with some spaghetti with a drink. The lunch lady seemed rather nice, so I gave a gentle nod to her as I left to find a table, hopefully one that's empty.

And just my luck, there was an empty table in the far right end of the room. _Good. _I thought. _Empty and reserved. _

When I sat down at the table, I started eating my lunch while pondering over how my day was going to go over. _Hmm, okay. So, obviously, right now's lunch time. So, after lunch, it's off to my classes, then afterwards I head straight to the Lyoko Supercomputer, turn it on, go to the lab in the same location, and install the Xanadu access codes from both the outside and the inside of Lyoko. I'll be in and out of there in no time. But, where does Ulrich fit into all of this? I mean, I've only just heard of the guy, and I want to know more of him apart from the fact that we're cousins and what little things that my dad's told me. I just want to get to know him on a mutual standing, since we will be allies on Lyoko. Nothing more, nothing less. However, that did seem a bit harsh of me to think that. So maybe, just maybe, I can let him in a bit further into my zone, but not too much, of course._

"Solana?" I heard a voice come up in front of me. I looked up to find a brown haired, brown eyed male. He was wearing an army jacket over a black shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. Something about his presence seemed familiar. _Is this Ulrich? _I thought to myself. Well, maybe no, but I decided to go with my gut instinct.

"Ulrich?" I heard myself say.

There was a bit of an awkward pause between the both of us, until he had managed to say something to help break the silence. The silence was due to the fact that we had, of course, just met each other, and it was starting to take a little bit to get used to each others presence.

"You're Solana Stern, right?" The male asked me.

"Yeah." I confirmed. "And you're Ulrich Stern, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Ulrich said. _Good, _I thought. _At least I'm talking to the right guy._

Ulrich then took a seat in front of me. "So, how are you liking Kadic so far?"

"Hmm, it looks okay." I said. "A bit bigger than I'm used to, though."

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it." Ulrich smiled, which I gave him one back. "Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to sit with me and my friends." Ulrich invited.

_No. Stay by yourself, Solana. _I thought. _Remember: friends equal defeat. However, he has been nice to me so far for the short time that I've been here, I'll give him that. Okay, I'll take the offer, but I won't get too friendly._

"Okay, sure." I said. We then got up from the table and moved toward a table that was closer to the cafeteria opening. I then saw the group of people they were moving toward: a blonde haired boy with glasses, an Asian girl with short black hair, a boy who was blonde as well, but whose hair was spiked upwards and had a purple diamond in the center, and finally, Aelita.

Once Ulrich saw the somewhat nervous demeanor on my face, he turned back to me and said, "Don't worry, they won't bite. I promise." With this comment, I smiled as we continued on our way.

When we made it to the table, Ulrich then started to introduce me to the people that I had observed from afar, and vise versa. "Hey guys, this is Solana." Ulrich introduced me, then pointed to each of his friends.

"Solana, these are my friends: Yumi," he pointed to the black haired girl. "Aelita, Jeremy," the boy with the glasses. "and Odd." and lastly the boy with the purple diamond in his hair. It took me a while for me to realize that his actual name was Odd, and not odd as In different. I have no idea why, but there was sort of a bewitching quality to his presence. I then took a seat between Ulrich and the window.

I was tossed some questions by Ulrich and his friends, some of it being the usual 'where are you from' and 'how do like Kadic so far?' questions that I was expecting to get before I took my first step on campus. I gave out honest answers for each question, until came the question that I was unsure about.

"Hey, maybe after lunch we can give you a tour of the school." Odd offered. I noticed the others nodding in agreement to this, but how was I going to get past this one?

"Oh, that sounds nice, but I already have some stuff that I need to take care of today." I made up on the spot. Hopefully, this argument should hopefully

"Are you sure? Kadic's a pretty big place, and you might get lost trying to find where you need to be." Odd said to me. Sure, it's a big place, but I'm pretty sure I can find my way here pretty fast.

"I'm pretty sure I can find my way." I said to Odd to reassure him.

"Are you sure?" Ulrich asked.

"I'm sure." I said. At this time, I noticed that the bell had wrung and that the other students in the cafeteria were beginning to leave. I snuck in with the crowd as I was exiting, hoping not to get noticed.

But once I was at a distance away from Ulrich and his friends, I started to feel guilty. _Maybe I do need some guidance around this place after all. _I thought. _I shouldn't have come off as distant to them. Okay, it's settled. I'll accept their offer, but I won't try anything. _

I then made my way to Ulrich and his friends. "Okay, I give. Can I have a tour of the place?"

"I knew it!" Odd exclaimed. "See, guys? I told you she come around."

"Okay, now that we have that settled, let's begin, shall we?" Ulrich said, and I gave an approving nod.

_Well, at least I get to spend time with Ulrich and that Odd guy._

**LATER THAT DAY: **

Me, Yumi, Odd and Ulrich were almost at the Administrative Building that I was at earlier today. I had managed to find out where the other buildings and rooms were, and I also got to meet some of the other students and faculty here, like Sissi Delmas, William Dunbar, and Mr. Jim Morales. When I met these individuals, they mistook me and Ulrich for brother and sister. But when we mentioned that we were cousins, they all felt sort of embarrassed yet interested at the same time.

Just then, the earth below our feet started to shake, but then the shaking stopped after a few seconds. The others and I looked at each other in confusion, wondering what had just happened.

"What just happened?" Odd asked.

Then, Yumi's phone began to ring. "Yeah, Jeremy?" she answered. She kept silent for a while, until her eyes went wide in surprise. "Okay, we'll be there ASAP." she said before hanging up.

"That was Jeremy. He said to get to you-know-where, because you-know-who is back." Yumi said, and then that's when it hit me: XANA's launched an attack. But then Ulrich turned to me, thinking that I didn't know.

"Hey, Solana. All three of us have to go. Jeremy needs us. You understand, right?" Ulrich asked.

All I did was nod in the situation. "I understand completely." I said.

"We can re-do the tour again! I promise!" Ulrich shouted to me just before taking off with the others into the forest.

I waited until the three were out of eyesight, and that was when I decided to make my move. I then ran out onto the closest street sidewalk and began running to the Lyoko factory, while also trying to keep myself hidden from the three. When I followed them, they began to make their way inside an abandoned car factory. _Hmm, strange place to hold it. _I thought as I quickly, but stealthily, made my way to the same location they were at. When I was there, I kept myself hidden nearby a local shop. But then, I noticed something somewhat strange: a cloud of smoke appeared in front of Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich, and it formed into the shape of three men in black suits. I had been told what these being were before: they were polymorphic specters.

And before I knew it, the three specters began to attack Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi, and they were challenged to a three-on-three melee attack. I then decided to come closer to the entrance, hoping to hide under the factory bridge until the fight was over. But then, one of the specters looked in my direction, and pointed to where I was at. The other two noticed this as well, and before I could even blink, a polymorphic specter showed up behind me and grabbed me tight.

"Hey! Let me go!" I shouted to warn him. Instead, both it and I were both teleported to the bridge where the action was going on, and there I was, in front of three of the Lyoko warriors, all of them shocked to see my presence.

"Solana!" Yumi gasped.

"So, she's one you, isn't she?" The specter spoke in a dark, monotone voice.

Then, by instinct, I shoved both of my elbows into the specter's abdomen, which caused it to be pushed back, and then I kicked my leg into it's side. It's a good thing my battle instincts came on, or else I wouldn't know what to do.

The specters then stood by each other, and all three disappeared as one back into the form of smoke, and disappeared into thin air.

I let out a sigh as I looked toward the factory enterance.

"Solana, what were you thinking?" I turned to Ulrich, with a strict tone to his voice and his expression. "You could have gotten yourself seriously hurt from that. And for that matter, what do you think you were doing spying?"

From his current demeanor, he was acting just like my dad in these types of situations: overprotective and laying on the rules.

I obviously can't say why I was spying on them, but I blurted out an acceptable answer that might let me into the Lyoko Warriors sooner, with one of the steps of the mission calling out at me: become one of them.

"I know that Jeremy and Aelita are hiding something." I said seriously. "And I'm not gonna go until I know what's up."

Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich looked at each other, wondering what to do in this situation.

That's when Yumi took in a breath and looked to Ulrich. "We should tell her, Ulrich."

"No, we can't. No way, no how." Ulrich said stubbornly. "After the tower's deactivated, we'll make a return to the past and it'll be as if it never happened."

"But Ulrich, she's gonna find out eventually anyway." Odd said. "And besides, you saw how she fought that specter. She could be useful on Lyoko."

Ulrich just closed his eyes and groaned. "Okay fine, she can be a Lyoko Warrior. But only temporarily."

_Yes, _I thought. _Temporary. _

"Good. Now that we have that settled, we gotta go help Aelita." Yumi said, while me, Odd, and Ulrich followed her to the entrance.

When I looked straight ahead, I noticed that there weren't any stairs, just three ropes in it's place. _Great. Now I have to climb down. Alright, Solana, just don't look down and it'll be over sooner. _

The truth is, I've had vertigo ever since I could remember. When I was a kid and was way up high someplace, I would get really dizzy, even nauseous, and start bawling. That was before I started my Xanadu training. I don't cry anymore, but I still get dizzy to this day because of it. However, I just try my best to ignore it and focus on what really matters at that moment.

After the others went down first, I grabbed the middle rope, kept my eyes shut, swung down and landed to the concrete bottom. When I opened my eyes, I was on both of my feet, and next to Odd. I then turned my head to the elevator, which looked like it hadn't been used in years. But when we all were inside, and after a code number closed the elevator door and started to go down, the elevator to my surprise was working just fine.

When the elevator door opened, I noticed the hues of green inside the dimly lit room. As I was walking inside, I noticed a holomap right beside a computer. _This must be the holomap of Lyoko, _I thought.

"We're here, Jeremy." Ulrich said to him, who was in the chair, facing the computer screen.

"About time you got here." When Jeremy turned to me, he had almost the same reaction the others had when they discovered that I was following them. "What's Solana…?"

"We'll explain later." Odd said, cutting him off. "What'd we miss?"

"Aelita's in the Ice Sector, and she needs backup, and fast." Jeremy informed.

"We'll get to the scanner room." Ulrich said. "Solana, you stay up here with Jeremy."

A part of me wanted to fight him on the issue, but since time of was the essence, I decided to do what I was told and stay with Jeremy.

After some time in silence, I then got to see how the virtualization process worked from the computer screen. I saw three screens pop up, one for each Lyoko Warrior. As the screens were loading, I heard Jeremy say:

"Transfer Yumi,"

"Transfer Odd,"

"Transfer Ulrich,"

"Scanner Yumi,"

"Scanner Odd,"

"Scanner Ulrich,"

"Virtualization." He completed.

As I pondered over why he even needed to sat that, Jeremy was guiding the other Lyoko Warriors to the destination of the activated tower. I was also surprised that Jeremy would be able to communicate to anyone on Lyoko and vise versa.

While I was observing how things were doing, I noticed from both the screen and the other's voices, things weren't doing so hot as the fight intensed. Apparently, there were hoards of creatures surrounding them, and that they kept showing up out of nowhere. Probably because XANA wants to make a lasting first impression from his return. Then, Ulrich's life bar was down to zero, and he was no longer shown on the screen.

"What happened to Ulrich?" I asked Jeremy, concerned for his welfare.

"It's okay, Solana." He said. "He's just devirtualized from Lyoko. He should be out with us on Earth in a few moments."

Sure enough, Ulrich came out from the elevator and came towards me and Jeremy. I sighed in relief as soon as I realized that he was okay.

"Guys," Jeremy asked. "Is Aelita in the tower yet?"

"No, but we're trying to hold them off," Odd said. "But I'd be really nice to have some back up over here."

It was silent in the lab for a while, and I had my eyes closed, thinking. Aelita's in danger, and both Yumi and Odd would eventually devirtualize. It was at that moment that I decided to step up to the plate.

"Send me in."

Jeremy and Ulrich both turned to me, a bit surprised that I'd be Yumi and Odd's back up.

"But Solana-"

"Look, Aelita's in danger in there, and soon there may not be anyone else to help her." I cut off Jeremy, with a determined expression on my face. "I'll do whatever I can in there for as long as possible."

Jeremy looked to Ulrich, then back at me. Ulrich did the same thing with Jeremy, although I could tell he was hesitant about it.

"Okay, Solana. Ulrich, guide her to the scanner room." Jeremy ordered while returning back to the computer screen.

Ulrich then took me down one floor, where I saw that the color in the room had changed to a light gold. Also in this room were three pod like structures. _These must be the scanners. _I thought.

"Now, just enter one of the scanners and Jeremy will take care of the rest." Ulrich instructed.

I then entered the scanner in the middle, and once inside, I faced Ulrich.

"Just be careful for me, okay?" Ulrich asked of me.

"I'll try." I said. "Not saying I _will, _but I'll try."

Then the doors started closing in front of me, and I felt air from below the scanner lift me from the ground, and I was engulfed in a white light. Somehow, this reminded me of the day I got the Dragon's Flame.

One more light flashed before my eyes, and I could only see white and feel the wind on my body and my hair.

/

I then felt myself falling into a new environment, but I managed to come down feet first. I looked around where I was at, and it was my favorite color as far as the eye could see: blue, in nearly every hue.

I then took a look at my Lyoko outfit. I vaguely resembled a Japanese priestess, or a miko in other words. The colors consisted mainly of red, white, and blue, and the loose fitting pants were up to my waist. I then looked at my finger, and noticed a ring on it. _Is that… my weapon? _I thought.

I shook myself from my thoughts and ran over to where the action was, and I took a look at what Yumi and Odd both looked like on Lyoko.

Yumi, for one thing, looked like a futuristic geisha. She was wearing a form-fitting pink and purple body suit with flowered shoulder pads with a yellow sash.

Odd, on the other hand, was another story. He essentially looked like a giant purple cat. He was wearing a full body suit with highlights on them. He also had cat ears in addition to his human ones, face markings, and, to complete the cat motif, he had only four fingers and claws. The bewitching quality about him was stronger, but I just ignored this and went over to them.

"Glad you could join the party, Sol." Odd said after he took down a strange looking creature.

I was in confusion of why he chose to call my 'Sol', but I just ignored this and braced myself for battle.

"Solana, you go escort Aelita to the tower," Yumi instructed, pointing to the tower with the red aura surrounding it. "and we'll take care of the monsters."

I nodded, and managed to find Aelita with her back against a wall. Her outfit consisted of a pink form-fitting suit. She also had elf like ears with one small earring dangling on her left ear. In this form, Aelita was starting to remind me of Kai.

"Aelita, are you okay?" I asked, making sure she was well enough to deactivate the tower.

"I'm fine for now," Aelita responded. "All I have to do is deactivate the tower to stop all of this."

I then took a look at the tower nearby. I saw three strange looking creatures: two monsters with square shapes, and one that looked like a slug mixed with a spider. They sort of remined me of Matroids, Martix's personal creations apart from Taxxons and Parasites. Unlike Taxxons and Parasites, Matroids come in all different forms and are the equivalent of XANA's monsters.

"Looks like we're going to have to get past those things, huh?" I said, and Aelita nodded in response.

I then started to look around where me and Aelita were at. _What can I use to fight those things. _Then, I noticed a dim light coming from my ring on my left hand. The ring was glowing, almost like it was sensing it was time for battle. I took off the ring, and all of a sudden it morphed into a metallic bo staff, with the center of the head looking like a small crystal. "Whoa," I said to myself.

I clutched the bo staff in my hands and looked at the current enemies in front of me. "Stay behind me, Aelita." I said to her.

That's when I knew what to do. I charged at the three enemies, and starting with the square monster to the right, I stabbed it in the eye, and moved away from it before it exploded. I did the same with the other one, and dodged the explosion by doing a back flip. Now, all that was left was the slug thing. I decided to give it two punches to the head and forced my leg onto it's side. I didn't know how effective that was, but it was all I could think of at the moment. But then, the slug opened it's mouth and fired a laser at my shoulder. I put my hand to my shoulder trying to calm the sting.

"Solana, you now only have sixty life points left." Jeremy told me from Earth.

_Wow, sixty points left? That fast? Man, this isn't like Xanadu at all. _

"Laser Arrow!" Odd exclaimed as he finished off the last Tarantula. "Alright, Princess, it's all clear."

After Aelita entered the tower, I took a look at it in amazement. We have something similar to these Lyoko towers, but they're much larger. And when one's activated, black aura surrounds it instead of red.

"Nice job dealing with the Bloks and that Creeper." I turned around and found out that the voice had belonged to Odd, who was right behind me with a grin on his face.

"Thanks." I responded. "I just acted on instinct is all."

"Instinct? Solana, you were like the Karate Kid back there." Odd smiled once again at me while throwing a few invisible punches, and I managed to smile back at him, even though I didn't understand his joke. Even here, his bewitching self never failed to impress.

"Looks like the tower's deactivated." Yumi pointed to the tower, which it's aura has changed from red to white.

I looked over to It, and sure enough, the aura had changed color, from red to white. It looked rather beautiful, to say the least.

"Phew." Jeremy sighed. "Now that that's over with, let's make a return to the past before anyone notices."

**T/T**

After the Return to the Past, I was sitting with the others at the table Ulrich showed me. The Lyoko Warriors were telling me all of the facts and information they had on them, even facts that I didn't know about. At the same time, Me, Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd were explaining why I spied on them in the first place.

During the conversation, I couldn't help but look to William, who was north of our position, and I looked back to the others.

"So, wait, if William's a Lyoko Warrior as well, but got possessed by XANA, why not just let him back in?" I asked them.

"Because he got too carried away and thought he could defeat the Schypizoa on his own." Jeremy said. "But unlike William, you Solana have showed some real promise on Lyoko."

"Really?" I asked, surprised that they were thanking me for my role on Lyoko. "You think so?"

"Of course." Yumi said. "You did what you were said, and made sure that Aelita was safe."

"And we've been doing some talking before you came here," Jeremy said. "And most of us have made the decision to make you a Lyoko Warrior. That is, if your cousin Ulrich gives the okay on it."

I then looked to Ulrich, hoping that he'll allow me to become one of them. If he said no, not only would that mean damaging causes to the mission, but damaging causes to Lyoko and Xanadu as well. When he says no, I'll be ready to persist my way into being a Lyoko Warrior.

Ulrich then opened his eyes and looked at me after looking around the table. "Are you sure you can handle what might happen?"

"I'm one hundred percent sure." I told him.

"Are you sure you won't get too reckless and become one of XANA's toys?" He asked again.

"Ulrich, I'll be fine," I reassured him. "I promise."

I then let both our eyes connect with one another as I anticipated Ulrich's upcoming answer. After a moment of silence, he smiled at me. "Then the answer is yes."

I honestly felt like doing a lap around the gym track, I was so happy. I grinned at Ulrich in happiness. But wait, what if it's a test? "Really?" I asked him.

"Yes, really." Ulrich said. "And about the whole 'temporary' thing.. It's been lifted. You'll stay a Lyoko Warrior until the battle is done."

"And your training will start tomorrow." Jeremy informed.

The bell then began to ring, and all of us began to exit the cafeteria.

_Wow, _I thought to myself. _I'm a Lyoko Warrior. This'll definitely help out with the mission a lot. But I have to thank Ulrich and the others in some way._

"Hey, Ulrich?" I said to him after leaving the cafeteria.

"Yeah, Solana?" He asked.

"Th-Thanks. For letting me be a warrior, that is." I tried to thank him while trying to sound composed.

"No problem." Ulrich said to me warmly.

"And I'll make sure I won't let any of you down." I said to him before leaving to my dorm to e-mail my father a status report of what has happened:

_Dear Father, _

_Today, I have managed to get to know the Lyoko Warriors and who they are. The warriors consist of five, formerly six, people: Yumi Ishiyama, Aelita, Ulrich, Odd Della Robia, Jeremy Belpois, and formerly, William Dunbar. Now, it's back to being six since I have joined today. I had helped them on a mission in the Ice Sector before making a Return to the Past. Now that I have become one of the Lyoko Warriors, I can finally settle down on the mission. Sometime on Monday, I will try to enter the Xanadu data codes into the supercomputer, lab interface, and inside Lyoko itself. During this time, I will also try to set up some firewalls on the Metaxy Sector. I have also taken the liberty of also trying to get to know Ulrich and Odd on a mutual standing, nothing more. Ulrich a bit more since he is my cousin. Odd, on the other hand, somehow has a strange quality to him that I can't figure out. I have training tomorrow, so I will give another status report whenever possible._

_Sincerely, Solana._


End file.
